Bulgarian Doctors Get Suspended Sentences in Toddler's Death

The Court in the Bulgarian city of Varna issued suspended sentences to two doctors in case related to the death of a toddler. File photo

The Regional Court in the Bulgarian Black Sea City of Varna issued Monday suspended sentences for two doctors for reckless fulfillment of their duties.

The case stems from the death of 2-year-old, Danail Donev, from Varna a year and a half ago.

Dr. Nikolay Nedelchev from the Child Surgery Clinic at the St. Anna hospital and Dr. Petar Kostadinov from the First Children Clinic at the St. Marina hospital received guilty verdicts for violating the Health, Hospital Code and Professional Physicians' Ethics Code Act.

They were sentenced to 8 months jail time postponed with 3-year probation and have to pay damages to the parents.

Dr. Anna Gorcheva from St. Marina is fined BGN 1 000 for listing in the medical documentation that the mother had refused a specialized test while she had never been offered one.

The three have also been sentenced to pay over BGN 10 000 in Court expenses and State taxes.

On April 19, 2010, the child was taken to the emergency room at St. Marina with an unknown diagnosis. The hospital did not have any room for him, so the parents took him to St. Anna where Danail was accepted by Gorcheva. After his condition deteriorated, Nedelchev was called. Despite the fact he was on duty and available, he did not attend to the child in person, but gave directions to the nurses on the phone.

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